BUG 
S U G 
tfissolyed in alcohol, and phosphuret of lime 
added to it. No apparent action took place. 
The mixture, after standing in the open air 
for some days, was evaporated, and water 
added. No gas was disengaged, as the phos- 
jihuret had been converted into a phosphat. 
The liquid being filtred and evaporated, a te- 
nacious substance remained, much resembling 
gum arabic. Its taste was bitter, with a slight 
degree ofsweetness. It did not seem soluble 
in alcohol. It burned like gum. 
7. When sugar is distilled in a retort, there 
comes over a fluid which at first scarcely dif- 
fers from pure water ; soon it is mixed with 
what was formerly called pyromucous acid, 
and is now known to be a compound of oil 
and acetic acid ; afterwards some empyreu- 
matic oil makes its appearance, and a bulky 
charcoal remains in the retort. This char- 
coal very frequently contains lime, because 
lime is used in-refining sugar ; but if the sugar, 
before being submitted to distillation, is dis- 
solved in water, and made to crystallize by 
1 evaporation in a temperature scarcely higher 
than that of the at mosphere, no lime whatever, 
nor any thing else, except pure charcoal, will 
| be found in the retort. During the distilla- 
! tion, there comes over a considerable quantity 
of carbonic acid and carbureted hydrogen gas. 
Sugar therefore is decomposed by the action 
of heat; and the following compounds are 
formed from it : water, acetic acid, oil, char- 
coal, carbonic acid, carbureted hydrogen gas. 
The quantity of oil in a separate state isincon- 
s eiderable; by far the most abundant product 
is pyromucous acid. Sugar indeed is very rea- 
dily converted into pyromucous acid ; for it 
makes its appearance always whenever syrup 
is raised to the boiling temperature. Hence 
• the sipellofcaromel which syrup at that tempe- 
rature emits. Hence alsothe reason, that, when 
we attempt to crystallize syrup by heat, there 
* always remains behind aquantity’of incrystal- 
- lizable matter, known by the name of mo- 
i lasses : whereas if thesyrup is crystallized with- 
f out artificial heat, every particle of sugar may 
i be obtained from it in a crystalline form. 
; Hence we see the importance of properly re- 
I gulating the fire during the crystallization of 
i the sugar, and the saving that would probably 
I result from conducting the operation at a low 
[ heat. 
We are indebted to Mr. Cruikshank for the 
most precise set of experiments on the de- 
1 composition of sugar by heat. 480 grains of 
pure sugar were introduced into a coated re- 
! tort, and heated gradually to redness. The 
products were 
Pyromucous acid with a drop or 
two of oil - - 270 grains 
Charcoal - - - 120 
Carbureted hydrogen, and carbo- 
nic acid gas - 99 
420 
The pyromucous acid required about 75 
grains of a solution of potass to saturate it ; 
and when thus neutralized, no ammonia was 
disengaged. Hence sugar contains no azote, 
j unless we suppose a very minute portion 
I to be present in the pyromucous acid ; and 
even this is not likely. The charcoal burns 
away without leaving any residue. Hence 
; sugar contains no earth nor fixed alkali. The 
proportion of the gaseous products was 119 
ounce-measures of carbureted hydrogen, and 
Vol. II. 
41 ounce-measures of carbonic acid gas. The 
carbureted hydrogen, according to the expe- 
riments of Cruikshank, was composed of five 
parts carbon and one hydrogen. 
These experiments are sufficient to shew 
us, that sugar is composed entirely of oxygen, 
carbon, and hydrogen. It is of course a ve- 
getable oxide. Lavoisier has concluded, 
from a series of experiments on the vinous 
fermentation, that these substances enter into 
the composition of sugar in the following 
proportions : • 
64 oxygen 
28 carbon 
8 hydrogen 
100 . 
But these proportions can only be con- 
sidered as very distant approximations to the 
truth. 
8. From the experiments of different che- 
mists, especially of Proust and Gottling, it 
appears that there are different species of su- 
gar found ready-prepared in the vegetable 
kingdom ; distinguished from each other by 
the figure of their crystals, and other varia- 
tions in their properties. The species hi- 
therto examined are three in number, namely, 
common sugar, sugar of grapes, and sugar of 
beet. As far as is known at present, there is 
no difference between the sugar of the maple 
and common sugar. 
9. That grapes contain abundance of sugar 
has been long known. The Due de Boullion first 
extracted it from the juice of grapes, and 
Proust pointed out the difference between it 
and common sugar. The juice of grapes, ac- 
cording to him, yielded from 30 to 40 per 
cent, of this sugar. 
10. Margraf discovered sugar in the root of 
the beta vulgaris ; but it is to Achard that we 
are indebted for the first attempts to extract 
it from that plant in a large way. The expe- 
riments of that philosopher, of Lampadius, of 
the committee appointed by the national in- 
stitute, and of Goettling, have thrown more 
light on this interesting subject. The method 
which succeeded best with Achard, was to 
boil the beet-roots (deprived of the heart) till 
they became so soft as to be easily pierced by 
a straw. They are then cut into slices, and 
the juice forced out by pressure. What re- 
mains is left for twelve hours in water, and the 
whole subjected to the press a second time. 
The liquids thus obtained are filtered through 
flannel, boiled down to two-thirds, filtered a 
second time, reduced by boiling to one-third 
of the original liquid, filtered a third time, and 
then evaporated to the consistence of syrup. 
The crystalline crust which forms on the sur- 
face is to be broken from time to time, and 
the spontaneous evaporation continued till 
the surface becomes covered with a tough 
coat instead of crystals. The whole is then 
to be thrown into woollen bags, and the mu- 
cilaginous liquid separated from the crystals by 
pressure. 
The sugar obtained by these processes, has 
much the appearance of raw sugar; but it 
may be refined by the common processes, 
and brought into the state of common sugar. 
From the experiments of Goettling, it ap- 
pears that beet-sugar is distinguished by a 
certain degree of a nauseous bitter taste ; 
owing, it is supposed, to the presence of a 
bitter extractive matter, which Lampadius 
sul m 
has shewn to be one of the constituents of the 
beet. 
11. The plants containing sugar are very 
numerous. The following are the chief of 
those from which it has been actually extract* 
ed by chemists: 
The sap of the acer saccharinum, 
betu'.aalba, 
• asclepias syriaca, 
heraclium sphond ilium, 
cocos nucifera, 
juglans alba, 
agave Americana, 
fucus saccharinus, 
ficus carica. 
The juice of arundo saccharifera, 
zea mays. 
The roots of pastinaea sativa, 
sium sisarum, 
— beta vulgaris and rich, 
• daucus carota, 
• apium petroselinum. 
Parmentier has also ascertained, that 
the grains of wheat, barley, &c. and all the 
other similar seeds which are used as food, 
contain at first a large quantity of sugar, which 
gradually disappears as they approach to a 
state of maturity. This is the case also with 
peas and beans, and all leguminous seeds : 
and is one reason why the flavour of young 
peas is so much superior to that of old ones. 
SUIT, inlaw, is used in different sense?, 
as, 1. Suit personal. 2. Suit of court, or 
suit service, is an attendance that tenants 
owe to the court of their lord. 3. Suit cove- 
nant, is where the ancestor has covenanted 
with another, to sue to his court. 4. Suit 
custom, when a man and his ancestors have 
been seized time out of mind, of his suit. 
5. Suit real, or regal, when men come to the 
sheriff ’s torn or leet. 6. Suit signifies the 
following one in chase, as fresh suit. 7. It 
signifies a petition made to the king or 
any great person. Cowel. 
SUKOTYRO, a genus of quadrupeds of 
the order bruta ; the generic character, liorri 
on each side near the eyes. There is but a 
single species, viz. the indicus • mane up- 
right, short, narrow, reaching from the top of 
the head to the rump. It inhabits Java, and 
feeds on herbs. 
SULPHATS, salts formed with the sul- 
phuric arid, which see. 
SULPHITES, salts formed with the sul- 
phurous acid, which see. 
SULPHUB, distinguished also in English 
by the name of brimstone, was known in the 
earliest ages. As it is found native in many 
parts of the world, it could not fail very soau 
to attract the attention of mankind. It was 
used by the antients in medicine, and its 
fumes were employed in bleaching wool. 
See Pliny, Lib. xxxv. c. 15. 
1. Sulphur is a hard brittle substance, com- 
monly of a yellow colour, without any smell, 
and of a weak though perceptible taste. 
It is a non-conductor of electricity, and of 
course becomes electric by friction. Its spe« 
cilic gravity is 1 .99Q. 
Sulphur undergoes no change by being al- 
lowed to remain exposed to the open air. 
When thrown into water, it does not melt as 
common salt does, but falls to the bottom, 
and remains there unchanged. It is tuere* 
fore insoluble in water. 
